Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 14:19:34 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Patrick R. Collins"
Subject: Air Bridge to Victory Errata and Q&A
To: mark@grognard.com
At long last, the consolidated ABV errata and Q&A.
From: "Patrick R. Collins"
Subject: Errata - GMT's Air Bridge to Victory
OFFICIAL GMT ERRATA
Map B: Where maps A and B join, partial hexes are missing on map B.
Sorry, we are at a complete loss as to how this happened.
Airpoints: The breakout of Guards Armor Scenario: The Allied Player
receives 25 airpoints.
Tournament Scenario: No points for either side.
Campaign Scenario: The Allied Player receives 25 points per day during
clear weather and the German Player receives 5 airpoints per day during
clear weather.
Setup: Breakout of Guards Armor and Campaign Scenarios: Guards Armor, 19
Hussars, and 30 Corps should set up in A/0405, A/0406, A/0407 and south
of the Meusse L'escanut Canal.
B/0405 etc. is incorrect.
Tournament and Campaign Scenarios: Add 1/22 (9SS Pz) Sept. 17 PM B/4125.
Breakout and Campaign Scenarios: German's setup, 2 Art should be at full
strength (4-1-4) not (2-1-4)
Campaign Scenario: German Reinforcements.
Sept. 18 AM, Turn 3; BEHLT (8-8-4) reads SHLT on the counter and the
reinforcement chart reads Behlt. BEHLT is correct.
Sept. 20 AM, Turn 7; 7 Para Reg. (5-6-4) reads 6 on the counter.
Sept. 21 AM, Turn 9; STM unit called for should be the FSTM (5-5-4)
infantry battlaion.
Player Aid Card: Allied Reinforcement Schedule; 8 Arm X should arrive as
the 50 Inf Div. (same conditions).
Overruns: Allowed only in clear and mixed terrain.
OTHER ERRATA - from GMT DEVELOPERS
From: Jean - Philippe Biron
---
Tony At GMT
First of all, I am not sure about the design rationale for this game
since I did not work on it. Here are some of my assumptions. The Allied
airborne divisions were supplied solely by air. There was simply no way
to supply them using the highway because it was jammed beyond capacity
with the British ground troops and their supply formations.
J-P Biron
==>
So, the errata found on the web that tells us that US and Brittish Abn
can trace a supply path of ten hexes to their parent DZ _AND ALSO_ to the
higway road is not true. US and Brittish Abn can _ONLY_ trace a supply
path of ten hexes to their parent DZ.
On the net:
Airborne Unit Supply:
Airborne units can at any time trace a supply line by using the Highway
when it is available instead of their designated drop zone. Their range
is 10 hexes to the highway hex when their drop zone is in play. Their
range is 5 hexes to the highway hex when their drop zone has been overrun
or is currently on the map on its ALT side.
This is not true...
Jean-Philippe,
Tony at GMT:
I don't know who posted the errata to the net, so I don't know how
authoritative it really is. If it is Gene's errata, you may want to go
with it. However, I still stand by my opinion that the 82d and 101st are
pretty much tied to their drop zones. Remember that these divisions used
different weapons than the British. They could not use British ammunition.
Bearing in mind that the traffic jams were so bad that the British could
barely keep their own forward elements supplied, the chances of getting
additional vehicles loaded with US ammunition through to the 82d and 101st
were negligible. Allowing the 82d and 101st to use the highway lets two
very good divisons more operational flexibility than they actually had, and
thus gives the Allied player an ahistorical advantage.
J-P Biron:
---
My second question is:
Does the sentence "Alternatively, the path may be traced to a road or
highway that extends any number of hexes free of enemy units or ZoCs to
a occupied supply hex" applied only to german player or to both allied
and german players.
In a first time you answer me the following:
> It applies to both sides - trace to a road, and then a theoretically
> unlimited distance along that road to a supply source.
GMT:
I was wrong in the first message (which I did not think got sent - thus
the reason for the second message).
In a second time you answer me the following:
> It applies only to the German player.
>
> I assume the second answer is the good one.
GMT:
Yes, it is.
---
> So, German and Allied non-airborne units must trace a path of "MOVEMENT
> POINTS" and not "HEXES" not greater than their movement allowance.
> Ok?
GMT:
Yes.
> i.e. three or two points for forests, 2 or 1 points for upslopes, etc...
> depending on whish (a mech or non-mech) unit trace the supply path.
> This would give a supply path length value between 1 (min) to 6 (max) hexes
> far to a main highway hex for allied and any road hex for german.
GMT:
Yes.
----
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----
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Fax.: 33.1.69.07.72.47 ----
See my home page at: \ /
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and my wargaming home page at:
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Subject: GMT Air Bridge to Victory - Q&A
OFFICIAL GMT Q&A
Movement: No matter what the circumstances, any unit with a movement
allowance other than zero may always move at least one hex in a turn
UNLESS TERRAIN IS PROHIBITIVE.
Overrun: All C/M units, other than self propelled artillery, may conduct
overruns.
*** Overrun: Overrun attacks may take place ONLY in clear or mixed
terrain hexes.
German Supply: No German unit can trace a supply line west of the Meuse
L' Escant canal.
Airborne Unit Supply: Airborne units can at any time trace a supply line
by using the Highway when it is available instead of their designated
drop zone. Their range is 10 hexes to the highway hex when their drop
zone is in play. Their range is 5 hexes to the highway hex when their
drop zone has been overrun or is currently on the map on its ALT side.
(NB THIS IS MODIFIED IN THE OTHER ERRATA ABOVE. MANY THINK THE PARAGRAPH
JUST ABOVE IS NOT CORRECT)
Assault Combat: In defensive bombardment, the assaulting unit or stack
is
assumed to be in terrain with a defensive value of two UNLESS it is
assaulting both from and into a clear terrain hex.
If only the defending unit or stack passes the efficiency check for a
second round of assault combat, the defending unit(s) continue to use
their defensive strength only to resolve the second round of assault
combat.
Drop Zone: Manuever attacks are not allowed on Drop Zone markers.
Manuever attacks are allowed against units occupying a hex with a drop
zone marker. Should manuever combat cause all allied combat units to
vacate a hex containing a drop zone marker, German units are not allowed
to advance after combat and overrun the drop zone marker. Drop Zones may
only be eliminated by overrun (movement phase) or by Assault combat.
Drop Zone Placement: Drop Zones, once overrun, may be placed in any
clear
or mixed terrain hex on the map.
Blocked Reinforcement Entry hex: A reinforcement that has its entry hex
blocked by enemy units must delay its arrival by one turn and may then
arrive in the first free adjacent hex (in the enemy unit's zone of
control, at which time it must cease its movement).
House Rule Option: Air Power Allotment must be assigned at the time
combat is declared. Need to incorporate numbered aircraft markers with
matching numbered counter on the air point track which notes how many
airpoints have been committed.
(Pat note: This next is asked, with no answer on the sheet. In CAPS
after
it, I supply my answer.)
Rules Question: May the entry hex for a reinforcement be altered by
voluntarily delaying the unit's arrival one or more turns? YES. DELAY 1
TURN FOR EVERY 5 HEXES YOU WISH TO ALTER THE ENTRY.
Regards, Pat
pcollins@prairienet.org
Q&A from other gamers
> I wonder if anyone familiar with this game can help
> with a couple of queries that my opponent and I can't
> find any solution for in the rules (or in the errata on
> Grognard).
> Both relating to Airborne Drop Zone counters.
>
> 1) The DZ counters can only be destroyed by assault
> combat - but if it is not stacked with any other unit, how
> does one determine whether it can fire in the second
> round, as it has no efficiency rating?
Ah yes, the DZ questions in ABtV. We encountered a whole
series of DZ related questions and couldn't get our emails
Isn't there also a question about overrun?
> 2) If the DZ counter is destroyed, it comes back on to the
> board on its reduced side after 2 turns. Where should it
> be placed though? Does it have to go in the original setup
> hex, in which case chances are good it will be destroyed
> again immediately; or can an alternative hex be chosen, and
> if so are there any restrictions on the location?
We also encountered this question and after our emails were
not answered, I called GMT to get an answer.
The deal is that the AltDZ must be on the same side (or sides)
of the rivers as the original DZ was, but can be up to 10 or
15 hexes distant.
The way we played, when the DZ was destroyed, we immediately
chose the hex for the AltDZ that was to appear in 2 turns and
placed it in an envelope. This forces the player to be
somewhat cautious.
> I'd also be interested in any comments on the game
My group played this, then 2 of us read Ryan's great book
_A Bridge too Far_, then the group played VG's _Hell's Highway_.
They are definitely on opposite ends of the game-simulation
spectrum.
We found ABtV to be pretty gamey with little relation to the
events described in Ryan's book.
> and/or series.
Several people have noted that _Operation Mercury_ uses an
improved version of that system and they really liked the
game.
> As well as this one, I've played (once) Operation
> Shoestring (Guadalcanal), and I've found the system to be
> fun, fairly simple and easy to learn. AtV is particularly
> good in that each player gets the role of attacker and
> defender in different parts of the map;
Yes it is fun and easy. It is also not a trivial system,
so there is some depth to it.
> Any thoughts/experience on balance in AtV? I'm playing
> the germans in the campaign game, and at present seem
> on the way to victory. But it does seem that the Allies
> have a difficult job to meet the Victory conditions.
We stopped playing the campaign game after the German
player dropped 2 river bridges (non-repairable) and was on
his way to a third. Hell's Highway, in contrast, explicitly
states that although the bridges were blowable, a blown
bridge would end the game for the Allies so the river bridges
can't blow.
If you want to check out a very playable simulation of M-G,
try HH.
(OR JUST ADOPT THE SAME RULE FOR ABtV - GERMANS CAN"T BLOW ANY BRIDGES
- PR Collins)
> Martin Mills
> m.j.mills@itd.maff.gov.uk
Neil
galarn@ix.netcom.com near Boston (the New World one)